Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance vs 
Founder Shield: How Do They Compare for Employment Practices Liability Insurance?
Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance lists EPL as one component of its Executive First Private Company Portfolio, alongside D&O, fiduciary, crime, and employed-lawyer insurance. Founder Shield says EPL is often bought standalone and targets startups hiring their first employees, retail and hospitality businesses, professional services, technology companies, and nonprofits with volunteers. 5,11
What Is Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance?
BHSI provides commercial and specialty insurance in the U.S., with product-specific industry lists that include healthcare, energy and technology. Online quote and application submissions are nonbinding. 1,2,3,4
Read the Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance profile
Read the Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance Employment Practices Liability Insurance page
What Is Founder Shield Insurance?
Founder Shield is a broker for venture-backed startups: you apply online in under 15 minutes, and an advisor shops its 200+ carrier markets to build a program that changes as your products and locations change. It doesn't insure you itself, so ask which insurer carries each policy. 6,7,8,9,10
Read the Founder Shield profile
Read the Founder Shield Employment Practices Liability Insurance page
What Is Employment Practices Liability Insurance?
EPLI can help pay covered defense costs and losses when applicants or workers allege discrimination, harassment, wrongful termination or other workplace wrongdoing. If you employ people, check the claim definition, defense costs and prior acts. 13,14,15
Key Differences in Employment Practices Liability Insurance
Portfolio Design and Capacity
A buyer seeking several management-liability lines together can compare Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance’s portfolio structure; an early-stage employer may prefer to ask Founder Shield about a dedicated EPL placement. Founder Shield is a retail brokerage and uses third-party insurers, while Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance’s reviewed record describes its own product portfolio. Confirm the actual issuer and form on either quote. 5 11
Buyer Fit and Practical Support
Founder Shield says EPL can be packaged with D&O because employment suits may name corporate officers personally. Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance also puts EPL and D&O in Executive First, with shared or separate limits advertised up to $50 million. The practical question is whether a D&O claim can erode EPL protection or whether the quote keeps those limits separate. 5 11
What to Confirm in Employment Practices Liability Insurance Quotes
Review Scores
These averages can combine ratings for different products, locations, and customer groups, including approximate BBB grade conversions. Read each review for the sources, scope, and calculation.
Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance
Review Score
No reviews found
The public ratings for Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance are low but thin: Trustpilot shows 2.1 out of 5 from 9 reviews and BBB shows 1 out of 5 from 6. Both mix travel and commercial customers, so we don't count them in a score.[5][7]
Read Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance reviewsFounder Shield
Review Score
1 rated source
Founder Shield has too little independent customer feedback for a reliable verdict. One positive Trustpilot review does not establish a service track record.[1][4]
Read Founder Shield reviewsOffering Details
Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance vs Founder Shield: Employment Practices Liability Insurance: documented features by provider
| Criteria | Employment Practices Liability in Executive First Private Company Portfolio | Founder Shield Employment Practices Liability Insurance |
|---|---|---|
| Role in This Line | BHSI lists Employment Practices Liability within its Executive First Private Company Portfolio comprehensive form with D&O, fiduciary, Commercial Crime and employed-lawyer insurance. 5Company-reported. This is portfolio marketing and does not show that EPL must be purchased with every other component. | Founder Shield is a retail insurance brokerage, described on its site as “the innovation arm of The Baldwin Group,” and places Founder Shield Employment Practices Liability Insurance with third-party carriers rather than underwriting the policy itself. 12Company-reported. About-us page; applies to Founder Shield's brokerage model generally, restated here for this line. Founder Shield says EPLI is often purchased standalone but is sometimes packaged with Directors & Officers coverage, since employee-related suits frequently name corporate officers personally. 11Company-reported. EPLI product page. |
| Issuing Insurer | Confirm in your quote. | Founder Shield says it places policies, including Founder Shield Employment Practices Liability Insurance, only with carriers rated A- or better by AM Best, chosen for the client's industry. It does not name the issuing insurer for this line; that depends on which carrier the policy is placed with. 8Company-reported. General carrier-selection FAQ, not specific to this line's placements. |
| Who It’s For | BHSI identifies private companies with at least $10 million in revenue among portfolio target accounts. 5Company-reported. This is the portfolio’s target segment, not an eligibility guarantee for an EPL quote. | Founder Shield markets EPLI to startups hiring their first employees, retail and hospitality businesses with high turnover, professional-services firms, technology companies, and non-profits with volunteers. 11Company-reported. EPLI product page. |
| Coverage Features | BHSI explicitly includes Employment Practices Liability in the listed portfolio form. 5Company-reported. The source identifies the line but does not describe covered allegations, exclusions or terms. | Founder Shield lists defense costs, settlements and judgments, and claims of wrongful termination, discrimination, harassment and retaliation as what EPLI responds to. 11Company-reported. Product page; the issued policy and declarations control actual coverage. |
| Limits and Retentions | BHSI advertises shared or separate portfolio limits up to $50 million. 5Company-reported. A portfolio-wide maximum is not an EPL limit or a quote. | Confirm in your quote. |
| Risk Services | The portfolio page says policyholders can access EPL First, an online repository of HR training and compliance resources and an attorney helpline. 5Company-reported. The page describes portfolio services; it does not state the helpline’s scope or availability for every policyholder. | Confirm in your quote. |
| How to Apply | Confirm in your quote. | You request Founder Shield Employment Practices Liability Insurance through Founder Shield's website or an insurance advisor rather than binding coverage directly; Founder Shield says its placement team then approaches carriers on the client's behalf. 12,8Company-reported. About-us and carrier-selection pages describe the general placement process, not a line-specific application form. |
Full Comparison
More Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance vs Founder Shield Comparisons
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Sources
Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance
- At A Glance. Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance; United States section, zero-based PDF pages 49–53 (viewer pages 50–54): product/industry lists on pages 49–50; U.S. disclosure/version footer on page 53 is 2026-8-03 A. The 2026-09-14 A footer is on preceding European page 48, not the U.S. section. Accessed 2026-09-29.
- About Us. Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance; About BHSI; company profile page re-opened through official site on 2026-09-28; company says it is part of National Indemnity group. Accessed 2026-09-28.
- Terms of Service. Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance; Important Information Concerning Use of this Web Site, paragraphs 2–4; nonbinding submissions, contracted-agent authority, state variation, product availability and policy-specific terms. Accessed 2026-09-28.
- Public Disclosure — Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance Singapore Branch. Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance; Singapore branch public disclosure, Company Profile ¶¶ 1–2; direct page opened 2026-09-28. ¶ 1 identifies BHSIC as a Nebraska-domiciled direct P&C insurer; ¶ 2 states BHSIC is wholly owned by National Indemnity Company, itself wholly owned by Berkshire Hathaway Incorporated. Accessed 2026-09-28.
- Executive First Private Company Portfolio. Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance; Product Highlights, lines 11–15: D&O, EPL, fiduciary, Commercial Crime and Employed Lawyers in one comprehensive form; shared or separate limits up to $50 million; EPL First HR resources and attorney helpline. Top Targets, lines 16–25: private companies with at least $10 million revenue and listed industries. Reopened 2026-09-30. Accessed 2026-09-30.
Founder Shield
- Founder Shield. Founder Shield; Opening broker description; Specialized Practices; Smart Tech, Smarter People; quote and sign-in links. Accessed 2026-09-15.
- Startup Insurance. Founder Shield; What Coverage Does your Startup Need?; Why Startups Choose Founder Shield; Industries We Serve; Essential Policies to Consider section. Accessed 2026-09-15.
- How Do You Decide Which Carriers to Approach? Founder Shield; FAQ answer on carrier selection: works exclusively with A-rated (AM Best) carriers, matched by industry appetite. Accessed 2026-09-23.
- What If Our Company Grows A Lot or Things Change During the Year? Founder Shield; Carl Niedbala answer, November 25, 2024: operational changes and coverage adjustments. Accessed 2026-09-15.
- Terms of Service. Founder Shield; Opening agreement; License Status; Representations and Disclaimers Related to Products or Services; Fees and Charges; Void Where Prohibited. Accessed 2026-09-15.
- Employment Practices Liability Insurance. Founder Shield; What Is EPL Insurance?; Who Needs EPL Insurance Coverage?; What Does EPL Insurance Cover? Accessed 2026-09-23.
- About Us. Founder Shield; “Founder Shield is the innovation arm of The Baldwin Group”; company history and mission. Accessed 2026-09-23.
Employment Practices Liability Insurance Guide
- Employment Practices Liability Insurance. Insurance Information Institute; Opening; What EPLI covers; Steps to limit employment liability risk. Accessed 2026-09-16.
- Employment Practices Liability Coverage. Travelers; I.A/II.A p.1; III.A.4–6 p.7; II.F Employment Claim, PDF p.2; I.B p.1; II.U–V p.5; II.L p.3; III.A.9 and A.13, pp.7–8; III.B.2 p.8; IV.A Settlement, PDF pp.8–9. Accessed 2026-09-16.
- Liability Coverage Terms and Conditions. Travelers; III.F–H p.6; III.O pp.8–9; III.F p.6; III.B–D, PDF pp.3–5; III.E–F, PDF pp.5–6. Accessed 2026-09-16.
